Children will no longer be allowed to visit patients at most South Bay hospitals due to strict new rules enacted to stem the spread of swine flu.

Visitors under 18 will be banned from patient floors at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Providence Little Company Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro, and Memorial Hospital of Gardena. Visitors under 14 will not be allowed at Kaiser Permanente’s South Bay Medical Center in Harbor City.

All of the restrictions apply to children who are at the hospital to visit patients; those seeking care for themselves will not be turned away.

“We feel this is in the best interest of our patients and the staff,” said Dr. Laurence Eason, chief medical officer at Little Company in Torrance. “The issue here is to protect patients and staff, and the younger population has been shown to be more at risk.”

This fall’s most virulent strain of influenza, known as swine flu or the H1N1 virus, has hit young people the hardest because they haven’t built up immunity to the bug. Roughly 95 percent of all H1N1 cases have been found in those under 50, and about 40 percent of all cases in those under 18, according to November figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu bugs tend to spread easily in places where large numbers of people congregate, such as hospitals and schools. The risk is especially acute in medical settings; the flu can be deadly for those who have weakened immune systems, respiratory problems or other health conditions, officials say.

In addition to restricting children, Little Company facilities in San Pedro and Torrance are also limiting the number of visitors that can be in each patient room to two. At the local Kaiser facility, only three visitors will be allowed in the labor and delivery and postpartum units, as well as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

All hospitals also are asking that anyone with symptoms of the flu – including fever, coughing and sore throat – not come to the hospital at all unless they need care.

Hand sanitizer, tissue and signs have also been spread throughout hospitals to encourage cleanliness and good hygiene. Face masks are on hand for those at higher risk of catching the bug, including health workers.

At Torrance Memorial, some entrances will now be closed at night to better control public access, said Dr. John McNamara, chief medical officer. At all facilities, visiting kids will be kept in the lobby areas on the first floor, officials say.

Most hospitals will make exceptions for children on a case-by-case basis, officials said. At Kaiser, for example, the rules will be relaxed for childen visiting relatives who are dying, said Michael Pucci, spokesman for the local hospital.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, which oversees Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, is considering similar restrictions but no final decisions have been made, said Michael Wilson, a spokesman for the department.

The restrictions are already in place at most hospitals. Torrance Memorial will begin enforcing the stricter rules on Nov. 11.

Hospital officials said they will continue to limit visitors and prohibit children until further notice, likely at least through March when the flu season officially ends.

“We are trying to do everything we can to protect patients and our staff,” said Mary Horkay, head of infection control at Memorial Hospital of Gardena.

Hospital officials say they have seen more patients than usual this early in the flu season, but so far have not been inundated with a massive surge.

“We’re running about 10 to 12 cases (a day), which is a lot for this time of year,” McNamara said. “We’re trying to prepare as best as possible.”

Officials say most patients are being cooperative.

“Everybody is very aware of the flu risk this year,” Eason said. “They understand precautions have to be taken for everyone’s safety.”

Melissa Evans is the city editor of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Prior to joining the Long Beach paper in 2011, she was a reporter covering health care, religion, city government and social issues for newspapers in the Los Angeles area, the Bay Area and the East Coast. She has a master's degree in theology from Loyola Marymount University, a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Diego State, and has completed several fellowships in journalism. She has lived in the Long Beach area since 2007.